Britain’s manufacturing sector barely grew in April, raising fears that the UK economy will not emerge from the depths of recession for some time.

The CIPS/Markit PMI manufacturing index dropped to 50.5 in April from a downwardly revised 51.9 in March, keeping the sector just above the 50 level which separates growth from contraction. This was the lowest reading since December and worse than economists’ forecasts for a reading of 51.5.

Total new order books fell slightly for the first time in five months in April, reflecting the sharpest drop in new export business since May 2009. This was mainly